First Apartment Pantry: The 20-Item Starter Shopping List

A first-apartment pantry needs exactly 20 things: 4 fats and acids, 6 dry staples, 5 cans and jars, and 5 seasonings. That is one shopping trip of roughly 60 to 80 francs, and it is the difference between a kitchen where you can cook and a kitchen where you can only store takeout. With these 20 on the shelf, any one fresh ingredient you bring home, a chicken breast, three eggs, a sad pepper, turns into a real dinner.

The list is deliberately boring. No truffle oil, no specialty vinegars, nothing you will use once. Every item here earns its slot by showing up in dozens of dishes.

Fats and Acids (4)

• Olive oil: your default for pans, roasting and dressings
• A neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed): for high heat, frying and anything where olive flavor fights the dish
• Butter: toast, eggs, pasta, finishing sauces, baking
• Vinegar, one bottle (white wine or apple cider): dressings, quick pickles, and the acid that fixes flat-tasting food

Dry Staples (6)

• Pasta, two shapes (one long, one short)
• Rice (basmati or long grain is the most forgiving)
• Oats: breakfast plus the binder for meatballs and burgers
• Flour: white sauces, crispy coatings, pancakes
• Red lentils: the fastest protein in the pantry, cooked in 15 minutes with zero soaking
• Stock cubes or bouillon powder: instant depth for soups, rice and sauces

Cans and Jars (5)

• Canned tomatoes, several: the base of pasta sauce, chili, shakshuka and curry
• Canned beans or chickpeas, several: instant protein for salads, stews and traybakes
• Canned tuna: the emergency dinner that never expires
• Tomato paste: one spoon, fried for a minute, makes everything taste slow-cooked
• Peanut butter or tahini: sauces, dressings, breakfast, satay night

Seasonings (5)

• Salt (plus flaky salt later, when you feel fancy)
• Black pepper, whole in a grinder if possible
• Paprika (sweet or smoked): color and warmth for eggs, chicken, potatoes
• Dried oregano or mixed Italian herbs: pasta, pizza, roast vegetables
• Chili flakes: heat on demand without buying five sauces

The First 5 Dinners This List Unlocks

1. Tomato pasta: fry tomato paste in olive oil, add canned tomatoes, salt, chili flakes, simmer 10 minutes, toss with pasta.
2. Red lentil soup: lentils, stock cube, canned tomatoes, paprika, 20 minutes, done.
3. Tuna and bean salad: canned tuna, canned beans, vinegar, olive oil, pepper, plus whatever crunchy thing is in the fridge.
4. Fried rice night: day-old rice, neutral oil, whatever vegetable or egg exists, seasoned hard.
5. Chickpea curry-ish: onion if you have one, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, chili flakes, spooned over rice.

What NOT to Buy Yet

Skip the 24-jar spice rack, novelty oils, five vinegars and any appliance sold by a 30-second video. The honest data point from every first kitchen: a handful of staples cooked often beats a full cupboard used never. Your 20 items plus a weekly basket of fresh food covers more than 15 distinct dinners before anything repeats, that is a month of variety on a student budget. When a recipe calls for something you lack, the ingredient substitutions cheat sheet usually gets you there with what you have.

For the cooking itself, start with what to cook with canned beans and cooking on a budget, both were written for exactly this kitchen.